The Seattle Sounders are taking on the Portland Timbers on Wednesday in their third meeting of the 2020 MLS regular season. Here is everything you need to know.
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7 p.m. PT at Providence Park in Portland, Ore.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be televised on JOEtv and Prime Video.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on 950 KJR AM and El Rey 1360 AM.
2020 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders: 6-2-3 (21 points, 1st West), Timbers: 5-4-3 (18 points, 5th West)
FORM GUIDE (most recent first): Seattle: WWLDW, Portland: WDLWL
ALL-TIME HISTORY: The Sounders are 12-9-6 all time against the Timbers in the MLS regular season, including a 4-6-3 mark on the road.
PREVIOUS MEETING: The Timbers came to CenturyLink Field on Sept. 6 and won 2-1 behind a 9th-minute opener from Eryk Williamson and an 83rd-minute match-winner from Felipe Mora. Kelvin Leerdam equalized just before halftime for the Sounders, who outshot the Timbers 15-8 and had 65 percent possession.
ROAD WARRIORS: Once upon a time, neither team in this fixture could muster a point at the home of their rival. But dating back to June 2018, the road team has won each of the last six MLS regular-season matches in this series.
RELIABLE RUIDÍAZ: Some players shy away from big moments and matches. Sounders forward Raúl Ruidíaz is not one of them. Since joining the Sounders in summer 2018, the Peruvian Designated Player has seven goals and two assists in seven career games against Portland.
NICO MAKES HISTORY: With his two penalty kick goals against LAFC last week, Nicolás Lodeiro set an all-time MLS record for most PK goals without a miss. The midfield maestro is now 14-for-14 in the MLS regular season.
THE URUGUAYAN ENGINE THAT COULD: Lodeiro also leads MLS this season in distance covered per game. The Sounders’ No. 10 has the best engine of anybody in the league, logging an impressive 7.44 miles per game.
GOAL DIFFERENTIAL KINGS: The Sounders lead MLS in Goals For (26), are third in Goals Allowed (10) and tied for first in Goal Differential (plus-16). They’re also averaging 3.17 goals per match and conceding just one goal per match in the six games since returning from the MLS is Back tournament.
SEBA SIDELINED: Timbers winger Sebastián Blanco is out for the rest of the 2020 season after tearing his ACL against the Sounders on Sept. 6. Blanco’s loss is a big one for the Timbers, as the Argentine winger had two goals and five assists in nine matches this season and was a major catalyst in Portland’s MLS is Back tournament title.
DOMINANT DIEGO: Timbers playmaker Diego Valeri is coming off a two-goal, one-assist performance that earned him MLS Player of the Week. The former league MVP now has six goals in 11 appearances this season after tallying eight all of last year.
EARTHQUAKE ANNIHILATION: The Timbers are coming off a record-setting 6-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes last Saturday, just a week after the Sounders set their own club record for goals in a 7-1 win over the ‘Quakes.
MATCHDAY TUNE IN REMINDER
Find out where and when to tune in for home and away matches.
